Dental Care: Here’s How to Maintain That Million Dollar Smile

Like American actress Connie Stevens once said, “Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.” However, boosting your appearance and confidence isn’t the only thing your pearly whites are good for. In fact, teeth are responsible for helping your food make its way to your stomach, providing the essential energy necessary for your body and mind to function. That’s why proper dental care is mandatory.

To make things easy, here at Royal Shave we compiled everything you need to know about your teeth and how to best care for them.

From baby teeth to pearly whites

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Throughout your lifetime, you have two sets of teeth: your baby teeth and your permanent teeth. While your teeth start sprouting around six-months-old, they actually begin developing before you are born.

Children have 20 baby teeth that they typically lose between the ages of six to 12. These teeth include incisors, molars and canines.

First to appear around six-months-old are the incisors, the four top and four bottom teeth in the front of your mouth that are responsible for biting food and allowing speech.

Next, babies around a year old grow their molars, which help grind and tear food and maintain the shape and height of their face.

Lastly, the canines, the four sharpest teeth in your mouth, show when a child is around 16-20 months old. These teeth help cut food and aid the digestive process. In addition, they help to support the lips.

Children have 20 baby teeth responsible for cutting and chewing food, maintaining the height of their face and allowing speech.

Luckily for children, teeth whitening isn’t usually a concern. After all, primary teeth grow in smaller and whiter than permanent teeth.

Even though a child’s first set of teeth don’t stay with them throughout their life, it is still important to engage in proper dental care. Decaying baby teeth can lead to problems for the permanent teeth that grow in later.

The key to protecting children’s growing teeth is prevention. When teeth first begin to develop, parents should regularly wipe down their child’s gums so bacteria doesn’t stick to the growing area. Once baby teeth bud, parents can start using a wet toothbrush and eventually move up to introducing fluoride around age three.

Dental care tips for adults

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After children lose their baby teeth, teens are left with a set of 32 permanent teeth. The 12 additional teeth come in the form of premolars, which develop around age 10, and wisdom teeth, which appear around age 17.

Since permanent teeth are the final natural set a person can grow, it is pertinent to invest in good dental care.

For adults, the following four dental care tips are necessary to avoid yellowing, decay and disease that become more of a risk as your permanent teeth gain more exposure to foods and irritants.

1. Fight tooth decay with fluoride toothpaste.

First, finding a fluoride toothpaste helps revitalize the enamel of your teeth, which is the barrier that guards teeth against acids. Fluoride stops bacteria from feasting on the food left on your teeth after eating and can reverse the signs of decay.

2. Don’t forget to floss.

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Ahh, flossing. It’s the one step everyone pretends to forget. However, flossing isn’t something you should leave out of your dental care routine.

Your toothbrush is good at getting bigger pieces of food and some bacteria off your teeth. However, it’s nearly impossible for it to reach every nook and cranny. That’s where dental floss comes in. The thin thread is much easier to lodge in the lines between your teeth, making sure every last bit of food and bacteria is removed.

3. Use mouthwash to protect your gums.

Dental care doesn’t just involve your teeth. It is also about preserving your mouth and gums. This makes mouthwash an essential item to add to your routine. While saliva offers a natural mouthwash, it often isn’t strong enough on its own to carry away all harmful bacteria.

Moreover, mouthwash is useful for reducing plaque and gingivitis. Marvis mouthwash is useful for people who suffer from dry mouth because of its alcohol-free formula. In addition, it leaves behind a pleasant peppermint smell.

4. Avoid overindulging in candy and sweets.

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An apple away keeps the doctor away. Trading your candy and sweets for an apple will also likely keep the dentist away. After all, apples are great sources of freshness and acidity that reduce bad breath and kill harmful bacteria.

Indulging in too many candies or sweets can cause cavities and quicker tooth decay. However, this doesn’t mean you have to totally pull your kids from participating in Halloween trick-or-treating. In reality, adults are at higher risk for cavities because teeth start to wear down and gums recede over time.

5. Consult a professional.

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While those apples may keep the dentist away for the time being, you shouldn’t avoid going to the dentist altogether. While many people may put this on their priority list next to going to the DMV, the dentist is actually a very valuable asset to your dental care and health.

Regular check-ups and cleaning will keep your teeth in their best condition. In addition, consulting a professional will help you realize your problem areas and which specific areas you should focus on for your mouth.